1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bus bar-holding structure in which a bus bar-holding member holds bus bars therein, and have insertion holes through which the bus bars project outwardly, respectively.
2. Background
A bus bar-holding member holds bus bars therein, and each of the bus bars has a tab terminal for fitting connection to a mating external terminal, and the bus bar-holding member has insertion holes through which the tab terminals project outwardly, respectively.
When this bus bar-holding member is combined with a housing or the like having the mating terminals, the outwardly-projecting tab terminals are fittingly connected respectively to the mating terminals.
If there is an error in the position of each tab terminal relative to its mating terminal, the two terminals are incompletely fitted together when the two members are combined together, or the two terminals are forcibly fitted together, thus causing damage to the terminals.
The amount of projection of the tab terminals is varied by a total error caused by the combination of a manufacturing dimensional error of the bus bars (including the tab terminals), a dimensional error in the position of mounting of the bus bars relative to the bus bar-mounting member, and a play in the mounting portion.
A prior art technique of reducing the play in the mounting portion is disclosed, for example, in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho. 63-120370.
In the technique disclosed in the above publication, stoppers for limiting the movement of each tab terminal projecting from an insertion hole of a bus bar-holding member in an extended and a retracted direction are provided on the tab terminal, and a reinforcement portion for pressing contact with the insertion hole is provided on the tab terminal.
However, there are encountered variations in the degree of press fitting of the tab terminal, the inclination of the tab terminals and the length of the tab terminals, and because of the sum of these errors, all of the tab terminals can not be projected accurately to the same amount, and therefore there remains a problem that the tab terminal may be fitted relative to the mating terminal incompletely or excessively.